Minecraft enchanted book command

Updated: 30 October 2026

A Mending book by version

1.20.5 moved items to components, and 1.21.5 removed the levels layer. The wrong format gives an error or a blank book.

Several enchantments

/give @p minecraft:enchanted_book[stored_enchantments={efficiency:5,unbreaking:3,mending:1}]

Separate them with commas (1.21.5+). On 1.20.5–1.21.4 put the same list inside levels:{…}; on 1.20.4 and earlier add one {id:…,lvl:…s} entry per enchantment.

stored_enchantments vs enchantments

Books need stored_enchantments. A book made with enchantments glows but its enchantments are not stored, so an anvil cannot transfer them. To enchant a tool directly, skip the book and use the enchant command generator.

Common enchantment IDs

Using the book on an anvil

• "Too Expensive!": in Survival the anvil refuses any job costing 40 levels or more. Books above the normal maximum, such as Efficiency 10, push the cost up quickly. Creative mode has no limit.
• Conflicting enchantments: a command can put Sharpness and Smite on the same book, but the anvil only transfers the ones that fit the tool.
• Repeated anvil use: every anvil job raises the cost of the next one, so apply everything in as few steps as you can.

Common problems

• Blank book: the format does not match your version.
• Anvil refuses it: the book was made with enchantments, or the enchantment does not fit that tool.
• /enchant fails on a book: /enchant does not work on books; use /give.
• "Too Expensive!": levels above the normal maximum (up to 255 from 1.20.5) raise the anvil cost past what Survival allows.
• Bedrock: commands cannot create custom enchanted books.

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